General Ogolla leaves Sh150m to his family, and wishes his relatives good luck

The late General Francis Ogolla's widow Aileen (centre), daughter Lorna Achieng and son Joel Rabuku at the burial in Siaya. [File, Standard The society owns an African, but not General Francis Omondi Ogolla. The baggage of waiting for weeks in a freezer as relatives mourned and the headache of sharing wealth with the many relatives who were part of his life were not part of the Kenya Defense Forces chief's plan. Imagine that all your favourite son, brother, grandson or uncle can leave you is his "best wishes". Well, that was Ogolla. To many Kenyans, General Ogolla was a figure to admire. Despite his name being thrust into the limelight due to the drama surrounding the 2022 election results at the Bomas of Kenya, he maintained a respectable aura during his tenure at the helm KDF. What Kenyans don't know is who Ogolla was beyond the disciplined forces. What were his wishes? How wealthy was he, and how did he want his wealth shared? On July 11, 2012, the soldier penned a will on how he wanted his earthly wealth to be shared when he died. In the presence of his colleagues Lieutenant Colonel John Njenga and Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Sane, Ogolla entrusted his children, Lorna Achieng and Joel Rabuku, with managing his estate after his death. Ogolla died at the age of 62 on April 18, 2024. Many thought he would be interred weeks later due to his status. However, his directive was for a quick exit within three days, with no bother of memorials. He also wished that no advertisement about his death would be made on either television or print media. Where he wanted emphasis on his instructions, Ogolla underlined his wishes in capital letters. He dictated that his burial should be attended by pall bearers and close family members. "I direct that upon my demise, the funeral is to be held as a private ceremony within 72 hours and NOT any later. It SHALL be attended by pall bears and close family members. A memorial service MAY be held after the burial. No advertisement in the print, audio media or any other form whatsoever is to be done. No other ceremony is to be done after the memorial service," his will filed before the court and, exclusively seen by The Standard reads. The General granted his son and daughter equal status in managing his wealth. He decreed that if either of them died before him or were unable to execute the duties entrusted to them, then the other would assume the responsibility. Nevertheless, Ogolla was emphatic and ordered that the two children would not get a coin or a favour out of the role of being executors of the estate. "I DECLARE that they shall both execute the duties herein for free without charge and expectation of remuneration or advantage over the beneficiary of my estate. I invest my joint executors and trustees with the same powers, duties and liabilities conferred on the executors and administrators of the deceased's persons' estates by Section 79 to 95 of the Law of Succession Act, Cap 160- Laws of Kenya," he wrote. Ogolla's will revolved around his nuclear family only. He distributed his service benefits and all other emoluments, pensions, gratuities, and compensation accruing to him by virtue of service in the Armed Forces to his wife Aileen Ogolla, daughter Achieng, and son Rabuku. The will states that the General's widow will receive 50 per cent of the estate, while the two children will share the other half equally. In addition, he bequeathed his wife an apartment at Hatheru Road, Nairobi, with the caveat that if she were not there, his children would own it in equal shares. Achieng inherited a property near Pangani Shopping Centre from her father and all the shares he held at NIC Securities. She also received a Bible once owned by her paternal grandmother. "I DEVISE AND BEQUEATH upon my death the WHOLE OF MY ESTATE moveable or immoveable, including property of every nature and description and whatsoever situate to MY JOINT EXECUTORS AND TRUSTEES TO HOLD IN TRUST for the benefit of my beneficiaries and thereafter distribute as follows...To my daughter Lorna Achieng Omondi the old Luo Bible left by my mother," the General decreed. Ogolla bequeathed his son a property in Siaya. He also inherited a separate property near Pangani. His father also directed that Rabuku inherit all his personal belongings and artifacts. He ordered that no one should get his clothes. "I direct that ALL my personal clothing be disposed of by burning," he said, adding that anything else he had not included in the will would be shared between Achieng and Rabuku. On the extra wealth, the General left room for the two to decide on how to share it. At his death, Ogolla was estimated to be worth Sh150 million. Documents filed before High Court Judge Patricia Nyaundi indicate that the General's investments revolved around Saccos and properties. He held shares in investment firm Felora. The others were Sacco shares, deposit contributions, benefits and burial expenses. He also held at least nine bank and Sacco accounts. Ogolla had three vehicles under his name. He also owned two other houses and four properties in Siaya and two properties in Central Alego and East Alego. General Ogolla bequeathed all his other relatives "good luck". "To all my relatives - good luck," he wrote. Ogolla (who was then serving as Vice Chief of the Defence Forces) came to the limelight following a fallout of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners over who won the 2022 election between William Ruto and Raila Odinga. His name, along with that of Kennedy Kihara (then Principal Administrative Secretary at the Office of the President), Kennedy Ogeto (then Solicitor General) and Hillary Mutyambai (then Inspector General of Police), came up during the hearing of the Presidential election petition at the Supreme Court. The then commissioners Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu alleged that the National Security Advisory Committee (NSAC) had also told then IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati not to name Ruto as the winner. According to the two, Kihara allegedly told them to "moderate" the result to avoid causing chaos in the country. While accusing Guliye and Molu of deceiving the court, they told the court that they met Chebukati to discuss security implications surrounding the transmission, tallying, and verifying the forms sent from polling stations. In his reply filed through the Attorney General's office, then Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua admitted that on August 15, 2022, he called Chebukati and the commissioners to inform them of his decision to meet with the commission to discuss the security implications of the slow pace of tallying. Kinyua said NSAC had received information that delays in declaring the results and how the results were being transmitted had generated public anxiety and risked creating opportunities for chaos and insecurity in parts of the country. "At the time of requesting for the meeting it was not clear whether the first and second respondent (IEBC and Chebukati) would be able to meet the said timelines or whether they were facing any challenges, given that the public display of results had been stopped abruptly and there was no public communication from the first and second respondents on the same or in the process of tallying and verifying the results. The NSAC had observed that the delay in the declaration of presidential election results was unprecedented in Kenya's history," he replied. Kinyua asserted that he was unaware of any resolution by top security organs to have the commission or Chebukati alter the final tally. Instead, he said it was his role to ensure that the country remained peaceful during the election period. According to him, the delegation sent to IEBC gave feedback that they met the commissioners, updated them on the country's security situation, and implored them to expedite the tallying. After the meeting, NSAC decided to deploy adequate security, with Mutyambai mandated to give a public address later, he argued. Despite the drama around the election, President Ruto appointed him as the Chief of Defence Forces on April 23, 2023, having promoted him from Lieutenant General. Ogolla joined the KDF on April 24, 1984. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on May 6, 1985, and posted to the Kenya Air Force (KAF). The EcoleMilitaire de Paris and National Defence College of Kenya graduate rose through the ranks and became a Major General was appointed the Commander of Kenya Air Force on July 15, 2018. He held this position for three years. He also worked as the Deputy Commander Kenya Air Force, Base Commander Laikipia Air Base, Commanding Officer of Tactical Fighter Wing, Chief Flying Instructor at Kenya Air Force Flying Training School and Operations Desk Officer at Kenya Air Force Headquarters. According to the Ministry of Defense, Ogolla served in other positions including in former Yugoslavia as an observer and Military Information Officer from 1992 to 1993, as chairman of Military Christian Fellowship from 1994 to 2004 and co-Chair of Association of African Air Chiefs between 2018-2019.

General Ogolla leaves Sh150m to his family, and wishes his relatives good luck

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